Foreign body mimicking acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

The article presents a case study of a 37-year-old male who was admitted to the Acute Cardiology Unit of our hospital with suspicion of acute coronary syndrome. By invasive imaging examination, acute coronary syndrome was ruled out, but as a secondary finding a foreign body was found in the pericardium – a broken needle that had travelled to the heart after intravenous heroin administration into the right femoral vein, which was also confirmed on a computed tomography scan. Because of a developing pericardial tamponade, surgical intervention and the extraction of the foreign body was indicated.